EP3SE260H780C4LG - Stratix III E FPGA, 488 I/O, 780-HBGA | Altera
MPN: EP3SE260H780C4LG ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1850 | $1,850.00 |
| 10 | $1675 | $16,750.00 |
| 100 | $1495 | $149,500.00 |
| 500 | $1380 | $690,000.00 |
| 1,000 | $1290 | $1,290,000.00 |
EP3SE260H780C4LG Overview
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a programmable logic device that lets engineers implement arbitrary digital circuits after PCB assembly. FPGAs occupy the highest tier of programmable logic, above CPLDs in density and below custom ASICs in per-unit cost, making them ideal for low-volume designs, rapid prototyping, and applications whose algorithms continue to evolve after deployment.
Key features include 950 MHz DSP block performance, dedicated 9-bit x 9-bit multiplier blocks, up to 800 Mbps external memory interface support (DDR3, QDR II+, RLDRAM II), 488 user I/O pins, and 8 full-duplex transceivers supporting rates up to 6.375 Gbps. The 780-HBGA package provides the highest user I/O density in the Stratix III E lineup, suited for data-path-heavy designs.
The Stratix III Enhanced family uses a 65 nm low-power process and introduces programmable power technology that dynamically scales voltage on logic blocks. Combined with hard IP for PCI Express Gen2, 10 Gigabit Ethernet MACs, and multi-gigabit transceivers, it accelerates protocol bridging, baseband processing, and high-speed serial links.
Typical applications include ASIC prototyping, high-performance DSP (radar, medical imaging, video processing), high-speed serial protocol bridging, broadcast equipment, military/aerospace signal processing, and test & measurement instrumentation. The 780-HBGA package supports high pin-count designs where board area and trace-length control are critical.
When designing with this device, allocate FPGA fabric utilization below 70% to leave timing margin for place-and-route closure, plan power sequencing across VCC, VCCA_PLL, and VCCPT rails, and validate transceiver reference-clock jitter against protocol masks.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, same-package drop-in alternatives (speed/temperature/revision grade variants), and practical design considerations for the EP3SE260H780C4LG that are not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for EP3SE260H780C4LG — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with EP3SE260H780C4LG (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, Speed Grade, Process Technology, RoHS Status, Logic Elements.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
EP3SE260H780C4L
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1190 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C4
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3150 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C3N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$1325 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C2N
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3600 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260F1517C4L
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$15100 / Unit
View Datasheet →EP3SE260H780C4LG Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Family | Stratix III Enhanced (EP3SE) |
| Logic Elements | 254,400 |
| Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs) | 101,760 |
| Embedded Memory (M9K + M144K) | 18.36 Mbits |
| DSP Blocks (18-bit x 18-bit) | 768 |
| 18-bit x 18-bit Multipliers | 1,536 |
| Transceivers (full-duplex) | 8 (up to 6.375 Gbps) |
| Maximum User I/O Pins | 488 |
| Package | 780-ball FineLine BGA (HBGA, 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) |
| Speed Grade | C4 (commercial, mid-speed tier) |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C junction) |
| Process Technology | 65 nm TSMC low-power CMOS |
| Operating Voltage (Core) | 0.9 V / 1.0 V / 1.1 V (programmable) |
| External Memory Interface | Up to 800 Mbps DDR3, QDR II+, RLDRAM II |
| Hard IP Blocks | PCIe Gen2, 10GbE MAC, memory controllers |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (Pb-free HBGA) |
| MSL Level | 3 (per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
EP3SE260H780C4LG 780-ball fineline bga (hbga, 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for EP3SE260H780C4LG (780-ball fineline bga (hbga, 29 mm x 29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for EP3SE260H780C4LG.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
EP3SE260H780C4LG is suitable for 7 applications: ASIC Prototyping and Emulation, High-Performance DSP and Signal Processing, High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging, Broadcast Video Processing and Display Walls, Test and Measurement Instrumentation, Military and Aerospace Signal Processing, Medical Imaging Acceleration.
ASIC Prototyping and Emulation
The EP3SE260H780C4LG delivers 254,400 logic elements (101,760 ALMs), 18.36 Mbits of embedded block RAM, and 1,536 18-bit x 18-bit multipliers - the largest Stratix III E fabric in the 780-HBGA package class. Engineers targeting ASIC prototyping and gate-level emulation map synthesized ASIC netlists into this FPGA via Quartus II / Quartus Prime. The high logic-to-I/O ratio (488 user I/O for 254K LEs) makes it ideal for daughter-card-based ASIC prototype boards where each FPGA absorbs a partitioned block of ASIC gates.
Recommended
High-Performance DSP and Signal Processing
The EP3SE260H780C4LG integrates 768 DSP blocks operating at up to 950 MHz, supporting 18-bit x 18-bit complex multiplications and accumulation. This makes the device ideal for radar baseband processing, software-defined radio (SDR), digital beamforming, medical imaging reconstruction (CT, MRI, ultrasound), and video codec acceleration. The 18.36 Mbit embedded block RAM supports coefficient tables, FFT twiddle factors, and sample-line buffers with low latency.
Recommended
High-Speed Serial Protocol Bridging
Eight integrated multi-gigabit transceivers on the EP3SE260H780C4LG operate up to 6.375 Gbps and natively support PCI Express Gen2, Serial RapidIO, 10 Gigabit Ethernet (XAUI), 3G-SDI, and CPRI for wireless baseband. This makes the FPGA ideal for switch-fabric cards, telecom base-station backhaul, and protocol translation between legacy and modern serial interfaces. Hard IP blocks reduce logic utilization versus soft SERDES-only implementations.
Recommended
Broadcast Video Processing and Display Walls
The 488 user I/O and high logic density of EP3SE260H780C4LG enable multi-stream SDI routing, frame-rate conversion, video scaling, and display-wall compositor designs. The hard memory controllers interface with DDR3 at 800 Mbps, supporting double-buffered frame stores for 1080p/60 and 4K processing pipelines. Embedded DSP blocks accelerate motion-estimation and deinterlacing kernels.
Recommended
Test and Measurement Instrumentation
High-end test and measurement equipment - arbitrary waveform generators, real-time oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and protocol analyzers - leverage the EP3SE260H780C4LG's combination of 488 user I/O, fast DSP fabric, and high-speed transceivers. The 950 MHz DSP block rate enables real-time FFT-based spectrum analysis at GHz sample rates, while 488 I/O support massive parallel digital stimulus/response channels.
Recommended
Military and Aerospace Signal Processing
Although the EP3SE260H780C4LG itself is commercial temperature grade (0C to +85C), many defense and aerospace programs use the same silicon at the package level for ruggedized subsystems. The FPGA processes radar, electronic-warfare (EW), and signals-intelligence (SIGINT) data flows where deterministic latency and high logic density are required. Note: for true military temperature (-55C to +125C), Altera/Intel offers dedicated Mil-Std-883 variants.
Recommended
Medical Imaging Acceleration
CT, MRI, PET, and ultrasound systems rely on FPGAs like the EP3SE260H780C4LG for real-time image reconstruction (filtered back-projection, iterative reconstruction). The 1,536 18-bit x 18-bit multipliers accelerate the convolution and back-projection kernels central to these algorithms, while 18.36 Mbits of embedded RAM buffers image slices between reconstruction passes.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for EP3SE260H780C4LG — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | EP3SE260H780C4L | EP3SE260H780C4 | EP3SE260H780C3N | EP3SE260H780C2N | EP3SE260F1517C4L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 780-ball FineLine BGA (HBGA, 29x29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 780-ball FineLine BGA (HBGA, 29x29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 780-ball FineLine BGA (HBGA, 29x29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 780-ball FineLine BGA (HBGA, 29x29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 780-ball FineLine BGA (HBGA, 29x29 mm, 1.0 mm pitch) | 1517-ball BGA (different package) |
| Brand | Altera (Intel Programmable Solutions Group) | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera | Altera |
| Logic Elements | 254,400 | 254,400 | 254,400 | 254,400 | 254,400 | 254,400 |
| Speed Grade | C4 (commercial, mid-tier) | C4 | C4 | C3 (one step slower) | C2 (slowest C-tier) | C4 |
| Temperature Grade | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) | Commercial (0C to +85C) |
| Transceivers (max rate) | 8 x 6.375 Gbps | 8 x 6.375 Gbps | 8 x 6.375 Gbps | 8 x 6.375 Gbps | 8 x 6.375 Gbps | 8 x 6.375 Gbps |
| Embedded Memory | 18.36 Mbits | 18.36 Mbits | 18.36 Mbits | 18.36 Mbits | 18.36 Mbits | 18.36 Mbits |
| RoHS Compliant | Yes (Pb-free "L" suffix + "G" tray) | Yes (Pb-free "L" suffix) | Older non-RoHS code | Yes (RoHS "N" suffix) | Yes (RoHS "N" suffix) | Yes (Pb-free "L" suffix) |
Key Differentiators
- Highest logic density Stratix III E FPGA available in 780-HBGA package class (vs EP3SE110F780I4N (105,600 LEs, same 780-FBGA footprint))
- Highest-density Stratix III E silicon exposed via FineLine BGA with 488 user I/O (vs Xilinx Virtex-6 XC6VLX365T (similar price tier))
- Drop-in speed grade flexibility within the same silicon / package (vs EP3SE260H780C3N (slower speed grade))
Design Notes
The EP3SE260H780C4LG requires multiple independent supply rails: VCC (core voltage, programmable 0.9V/1.0V/1.1V via VCCSEL pins), VCCPT (3.3V for I/O pre-drivers), VCCA_PLL (1.2V for PLL blocks), VCCPD (3.3V or 2.5V for I/O drivers), VCCIO (per-bank 1.2V to 3.3V), and VCCBAT (battery-backup for configuration RAM). Use a sequenced power controller such as the LTC3566 or dedicated FPGA power IC to enforce the VCCPD-before-VCC power-up sequence required by Stratix III; a violated sequence can trigger long-term reliability degradation or POR failure.
Estimated: at full fabric utilization (~70% LEs, 100% DSP utilization, 50% transceiver utilization) the EP3SE260H780C4LG can dissipate 8-12 W. The 780-HBGA package has a theta_JA in the range of 8-12 C/W with a 4-layer PCB and adequate thermal vias under the BGA array. Mount a heatsink or specify forced-air cooling if sustained junction-to-ambient thermal resistance exceeds the design margin (typically <50 C/W for long-term reliability at commercial temperature).
Route all 8 multi-gigabit transceiver channels with controlled-impedance differential pairs (100 ohm differential for the Stratix III transceivers) and matched length within each channel. Place AC-coupling capacitors (typically 100 nF X7R 0402) close to the transmit side. Reference-clock routing requires a dedicated guard-band and far from noisy switching signals. Use GND stitching vias every Lambda/10 along all high-speed traces to suppress common-mode radiation.
Do not confuse speed-grade ordering: I4/C4 are fast tiers while I8/C8 are slowest; within the same package, downgrading to a slower speed grade can cause Fmax timing violations for designs that close timing only at the fastest grade. Verify Quartus II / Quartus Prime timing closure reports for the chosen grade before committing to the BOM. Also note: the HBGA package does NOT have a thermal pad - thermal relief relies entirely on the BGA ball array and PCB thermal vias to internal ground planes.
The EP3SE260H780C4LG supports multiple configuration modes: Active Serial (AS, EPCS or EPCQ flash), Passive Serial (PS, microcontroller-driven), JTAG (for development/debug), and Fast Passive Parallel (FPP). For production, AS mode with an EPCQ256 256-Mbit quad-sPI flash is recommended for fast parallel configuration under 100 ms. The CONF_DONE, nSTATUS, and nCONFIG pins require 4.7 kohm pull-ups to VCCPD.
Compliance Information
RoHS 6/6 compliant per Altera/Intel product page (L suffix). Lead-free HBGA finish. Not AEC-Q100 qualified - this is a commercial-temperature-grade FPGA. For automotive applications, consult Altera/Intel automotive-grade Cyclone or Arria families.
